District 52 — U.S. House of Representatives

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About this office

Representatives are elected to two-year terms to represent the people of a specific congressional district in the federal government. They introduce and vote on new laws, hold hearings, and are responsible for approving federal taxes.

For this office, only the two candidates who get the most votes in the primary election advance to the general election. The two candidates may be from the same political party.

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My Top 3 Priorities

Supporting the innovation economy and helping small businesses grow by fighting for investments in science and our military.

Ensuring that America keeps its promises to our veterans by making sure they get they healthcare, benefits and transition assistance they've earned and deserve after their service and sacrifice.

Standing up to the reckless Trump Administration that is putting the nation's global leadership at risk, threatening the prosperity of working families, and dismantling protections designed to keep our air and water clean.

Experience

Experience

Profession:U.S. Representative

U.S. Representative, California's 52nd Congressional District — Elected position (2013–current)

Commissioner and Chairman, San Diego Unified Port District — Appointed position (2009–2012)

City Councilman and President, San Diego City Council — Elected position (2000–2008)

Partner, Peters and Varco, LLP (1996–2000)

Deputy County Council IV, County of San Diego, Office of County Council (1991–1996)

Associate, Baker & McKenzie (1989–1991)

Associate, Dorsey & Whitney LLP (1984–1988)

Economist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1980–1981)

Education

New York University School of Law — JD (1984)

Duke University — BA (1980)

Biography

Scott Peters is a proven leader with a track record of working with everyone to achieve common sense solutions and get things done. Since becoming a member the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, his priorities have been to fix a broken Congress, create high-quality jobs, keep America safe, keep our promises to our veterans, and make college more affordable for middle-class families. Since his time on the City Council, and as a Port Commissioner, Scott has developed a solid reputation as someone who is willing to reach across the aisle and achieve bipartisan solutions to tough problems.

Before being elected to Congress, Scott served as chair of the San Diego Unified Port District – a major economic engine that produces tens of thousands of high-skill, high-wage jobs for San Diegans. The Port manages the state tidelands in and around San Diego Bay, which produces around $3.3 billion in direct economic impact to the region and supports middle class jobs for around 40,000 San Diegans.

Scott served at the Port after completing two terms on the San Diego City Council, where he was San Diego’s first City Council President, elected to the role three years in a row by his colleagues. While at the City, Scott pursued greater accountability and efficiency in government, with a results-oriented approach. He led the creation of a new council/mayor form of government with an independent budget review function; created an independent audit function; hired the City’s first independent budget analyst; completed over $2 billion in downtown redevelopment including a new major league ballpark that generated more than 19,000 jobs; delivered an 80% reduction in sewer spills and beach closure days; set new standards for energy and water conservation in new development; and completed major district infrastructure, including Highway 56.

Prior to entering public service, Scott had a 16-year legal career in private practice, specializing in environmental law. He worked as an associate at large law firms, as a Deputy County Counsel for the County of San Diego, and then had his own small law firm for a number of years.

Scott has also worked extensively as a community leader to grow our economy, improve education, and protect the environment – including service as a member of the boards of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, CleanTECH San Diego, and the UCSD Chancellor’s Community Advisory Board, and as Chair of the Climate Initiative at The San Diego Foundation.

Scott earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and worked as an economist for the United States Environmental Protection Agency before attending New York University School of Law. He and his wife of 30 years, Lynn, are 27-year residents of the 52nd District. They live in La Jolla and have a grown daughter and son.

Questions & Answers

Questions from League of Women Voters of North County San Diego (5)

Family reunification is a process that allows immigrants already residing in the U.S. to bring in additional family members. Do you support limiting this process? Why or why not?

Answer from Scott Peters:

I support family reunification.

Do you support expanding the current border wall between U.S. and Mexico? Why or why not?

Answer from Scott Peters:

No. There are better ways to secure our southern border than by building a wall from coast to coast. Donald Trump wants to waste $18 billion of taxpayer money on a wall that most Americans oppose and that won’t secure the border as well as other more innovative, less expensive technology. What we need is better, newer more innovative technology to detect underground tunnels used to smuggle drugs and people, and more customs agents with better technology to screen cars and cargo driving through border crossings.

San Diegans view the border as an opportunity, not a threat. It is an economic engine for San Diego and our country.

Do you support creating additional regulations on gun ownership? Why or why not?

Answer from Scott Peters:

Yes. As a member of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I have been a consistent, vocal advocate for Congressional action to address gun violence. In the wake of Sandy Hook, Aurora, Pulse nightclub, Las Vegas and now Parkland, Congressional action is long, long overdue. After each of these tragedies, Congressional Republicans hold a moment of silence in honor of those whose lives were senselessly cut short, and then send “thoughts and prayers,” and then do nothing to make it better. That needs to change. I am ready to make our background check system work better, and I’m ready to ban bump stocks, high-capacity magazines and weapons of war that have no place in our schools or in our communities. My priority now is to raise the volume on this issue — to make it so that Congressional Republicans can’t just move on — and to help all of those who have been calling for action from Congress to have their voices heard.

I have focused on pushing legislation to establish universal background checks because it has broad bipartisan support and, thus, the best chance of passage in the House.

Should the U.S. remain in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? Why or why not?

Answer from Scott Peters:

Yes. Pulling the U.S. out of NAFTA would rip the rug out from underneath our economy and devastate small business owners, workers, and families in San Diego and across the country. It would create new barriers that make it harder to sell American-made products and crops to our two largest customers. And it would raise the prices that working families pay for everything from cars to groceries.

All but ten states in the U.S. count on Mexico or Canada as their largest export markets. In San Diego, they are our two top customers, with $5.5 billion in annual exports to Mexico alone. San Diego’s economy has benefitted greatly from being a center for international trade and it has made our binational region a more attractive place to start a business and manufacture products. Pulling out of NAFTA could hurt this ecosystem and the 120,000 San Diegans whose jobs depend on trade.

NAFTA isn’t perfect. It makes sense to prioritize raising enforceable environmental and labor standards through trade agreements to further level the playing field for American workers.

What programs or legislation, if any, would you support to help Americans of all ages secure affordable health care?

Answer from Scott Peters:

As a member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over health care, I fought back attempts to strip access to health care away from millions of Americans. I support the Affordable Care Act. And it was a huge undertaking. That means it was bound to need fixes over time and I’ve sought ways to repair and improve those elements that aren’t working the way they were intended.

Here are some reforms I’ve supported:

1. Congress should reauthorize and make permanent federal reinsurance programs, which protect insurers against the costliest medical claims. Without a sufficiently funded reinsurance program, insurers with sicker enrollees would have to charge higher premiums to all of their customers to stem their financial losses.

2. Congress should shield Cost-Sharing Reduction Subsidies (CSRs) from the uncertain appropriations process and commit to long-term funding. These subsidies reduce out-of-pocket health care costs for hardworking American families. If CSRs ended, insurance would become unaffordable for many, more insurers would hike premiums or leave the exchanges altogether, and the federal government would foot the bill for newly uninsured families flocking to the emergency room for basic care.

3. One of the most important ways to keep insurance available and premiums down is to get young, healthy people into the insurance pool. The ACA tries to do this with an “individual mandate” — everyone has to get insurance or pay a fine. As an alternative to the mandate, Congress could authorize an automatic enrollment system, where young individuals who do not purchase insurance would be automatically enrolled in an inexpensive health plan that covers basic primary care and catastrophic illness or injury.

Many individual insurance markets need help today, and the fixes are available and need not be partisan. This is what Congress should be doing.

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

Total money raised: $2,632,554

Top contributors that gave money to support the candidate, by organization:

1

Scott Peters

$51,377

2

Cox Enterprises and employees

$45,500

3

Employees of University of California, San Diego

$21,685

4

General Atomics and employees

$20,100

5

Employees of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd

$14,300

More information about contributions

By State:

California 36.92%

District of Columbia 32.65%

Virginia 6.03%

Illinois 3.34%

Other 21.07%

36.92%32.65%21.07%

By Size:

Large contributions (93.15%)

Small contributions (6.85%)

93.15%

By Type:

From organizations (59.81%)

From individuals (40.19%)

59.81%40.19%

Source: MapLight analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission.

Political Beliefs

While so many in Washington seem interested only in political gamesmanship and blaming others for the problems we face, Scott has forged a different path; he’s introduced multiple bills to make college more affordable, become a nationally recognized leader in the fight to reduce gun violence, has been a strong voice for our nation’s military, and has repeatedly stood up to attempts in Congress to take away a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions.

Position Papers

Official Statement

Creating Jobs: I was named Legislator of the Year by biotechnology groups for securing investments in scientific research for our universities and research institutions that create thousands of jobs. I passed a bill to help small businesses reduce legal fees.

Caring for Veterans: It’s unpatriotic that veterans wait months for healthcare they've earned. I helped pass laws to get veterans more health services, reduce wait times and launched a program to get veterans jobs. I passed a law to get Purple Heart veterans injured in battle the full education benefits they were being denied.

Fixing A Broken Congress: I helped pass a 'No Budget No Pay' bill that withholds Congress' pay if they don't do their jobs and pass a budget.

Standing Up for Families: I’m the only pro-choice candidate in this race, endorsed by Planned Parenthood. I helped pass a bipartisan law to lower student loan interest rates and ease college debt or families. I support providing DREAMers with a path to citizenship in the only country they’ve ever known.

I’ve worked hard to get things done and solve tough problems. Ranked one of America’s most independent lawmakers, I have opposed divisiveness and worked with both political parties to achieve commonsense solutions.

That might not be your version of the sample ballot, though. To find your own sample ballot version, containing all the candidates and measures on your own ballot, please use the ROV's sample ballot look-up tool at https://www2.sdcounty.ca.gov/rov/Eng/ballot.asp .

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

Top contributors that gave money to support the candidate, by organization:

1

Omar Qudrat

$70,005

2

Employees of Elliott Broidy Capital Management

$10,800

3

Employees of Archer Capital Management

$8,100

4

Employees of Glaser Weil

$7,700

5

ROAD TO FREEDOM POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE

$6,000

More information about contributions

By State:

California 52.04%

District of Columbia 21.55%

Virginia 5.88%

New York 5.34%

Other 15.19%

52.04%21.55%15.19%

By Size:

Large contributions (95.57%)

Small contributions (4.43%)

95.57%

By Type:

From organizations (3.37%)

From individuals (96.63%)

96.63%

Source: MapLight analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission.

Official Statement

Researched by Voter’s Edge

Source: San Diego County Registrar of Voters

No candidate statement was filed for the November 6, 2018, election. Voter's Edge is instead presenting this candidate's statement from the June 5, 2018, election.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES52nd District

OMAR QUDRATCounter Terrorism Attorney

I was born and raised in Southern California, a native SoCal son with my two older sisters. I am a military officer, I prosecuted terrorists at Guantanamo Bay as a U.S. Department of Defense official, I worked for the team that prosecuted the 9/11 alleged mastermind, I spent 18 months in Afghanistan during the surge as a Defense Department official, and I dedicated my life to advance the future of my nephews, my parents, my sisters, you, and all Americans who I am fighting for.

I lived the failed policies I’m fighting against and I have the experience to deliver results— With my leadership and proven solutions, I know how to solve San Diego’s veteran homelessness crisis. I will ensure our children have a future with education and skills that apply to tomorrow’s technologically advanced world. I know how to secure and protect our nation and community from criminals and terrorist networks. I know the struggle of business owners first hand I will fight to advance tax and regulation-cutting policies that will bring jobs that pay well and keep them here.

I will defend the Constitution with my life. In the military we don’t accept mission failure and as your Congressman I won’t stop until the mission is accomplished.

My family lived and achieved the American dream and we must preserve the American Dream for our children.

Time to take our community back. I would be honored to represent San Diego’s 52nd district. I am respectfully asking for your vote.